Our Community

Well met! I’m Kalista, and I co-admin Istari with my husband, Arius. We've run a few other sites together, from an old west Supernatural roleplay to a Tron Legacy board, but Istari is our first original creation. It was originally adapted as a D&D campaign setting for a group of friends, but I always loved the idea of mixing magic and technology to get both a classic and urban fantasy feel. I still enjoy playing tabletop D&D, but these days I tend to spend more time on writing and online roleplay.

Along with avid writing comes avid reading, and I always have at least one book going. I tend to bounce back and forth between urban or high fantasy and science fiction, but I also enjoy crime novels and a handful of the classics. I also love gaming on the Playstation and Nintendo 3DS. I love a wide variety of games, but the original Mass Effect trilogy is nearest and dearest to my heart.

I tend to be online from midday to late evening, depending on my work schedule, and I usually lurk throughout the day. I love working with coding and graphics, so if you’re having trouble with something or have questions about the setting, feel free to message me or hop into the chat box. I’m always open to feedback, and I hope you enjoy playing in Istari as much as I’ve enjoyed working on it!

Arius

Heyla! I'm Arius, one of the admins here on Istari, and Kalista's lucky husband. I love writing (obviously), especially horror, fantasy, and sci fi, though I've been known to dabble in poetry and even fanfiction in the past. Though I don't seem to find the time for them as much as I used to, I enjoy playing games, both video and tabletop, and if I'm not around on the site it's probably because I'm playing my PS4 or 3DS.

I'm a great devourer of all sorts of literature, from high fantasy epics to dry historical tales, from fiction to non-fiction, and even comic books, which I have a huge passion for. I co-own a small comic shop in my hometown, which is something of a dream come true for me,
and I've been collecting and reading comics and graphic novels since I was about five years old.

I'm usually around in the evenings to answer questions, play in the cbox, or even just shoot the breeze, so feel free to hit me up if you ever need anything!

Kay

Hey there! I’m Kay, Istari's moderator, and it’s nice to meet you! I’ve been roleplaying and writing for more than ten years and have been playing on Istari for about the whole time that it’s been open. I’ve known Kali and Arius for almost ten years now and actually got my online handler name from Arius. I’m a frequent writer and I do get distracted relatively easily as I’m always on social media sites. But currently I’ve been distracted with watching TV shows.

I’m an avid TV watcher ranging from Supernatural all the way to anime and nostalgia TV shows. Currently I’ve gotten myself stuck on Gargoyles. I’m also a classic anime fan, I’ve seen some of the newer animes, but the classics are my favorite. I’m also into a lot of superhero movies and horror movies, but movies in general are the things that I’m doing if I’m not writing.

I used to be a night owl, but given my 4am work schedule, I can be found lurking around here at high noon to about early evening, I’m a lurker so there will always definitely be someone there to answer your questions! Welcome to Istari!

Welcome to Istari!

Istari is a medieval realm where magic and adventures abound, existing seamlessly alongside modern-day Earth. Our original creation is full of heroes, fell creatures, danger, and excitement, and its boundaries are limitless. We welcome most medieval to modern-day fantasy and supernatural creatures, civilizations, races, and pantheons. Whether you favor one of the worlds exclusively or decide to play in both, the possibilities are endless, and there’s always room for one more!

We are an advanced roleplay with a friendly staff and players who are happy to answer questions. Because we sometimes deal with mature topics and themes, we are looking for responsible players who are 18 years or older. We also ask that our members be respectful, tolerant, and courteous toward others. We want everyone to have fun here!

Site Updates!

October 1st, 2017: New Character Month Returns!

Hey everyone! We're halfway into the Istaran year, and that means it's time for a special character event! Last year it was Second Chance Character Month, but this year we're doing a second New Character Month instead. During the month of October, you can post as many character applications as you want, without the need of an in-character post in between!

August 3rd, 2017: Improvements and New Staff!

Arius and I are pleased to welcome Kay to the team as Istari's new moderator! Kay has been with Istari since the beginning, and she's always been happy to jump in and lend a hand or answer questions. We're excited to have her on the team as we work to continue improving and expanding the site.

On that note, please make sure to read the latest announcement to find out what's in store! Aside from the addition of out of character accounts, the rules and plot have been revamped and we are working to make the site easier to navigate to improve plotting and networking between characters. Make sure you don't miss out on the details!

April 28th, 2017: Happy Four Year Anniversary!

Greetings all! This day marks our four year anniversary, and to celebrate that we've not only brought back New Character Month, but we've given the site a much-needed face lift! We hope everyone enjoys the new skin and features, and as always, if you have any questions, concerns, or anything else, don't hesitate to let us know!

January 1st, 2017: Time to Get Back on Track!

Happy New Year fellow travelers! We hope you all had fun and stayed safe over the holidays! Now that the fun and festivities are over, we will be resuming normal activity checks, starting on February 8th. Please remember that the post-holiday activity check is MANDATORY, as this is the time of year when we delete unused accounts and clean up the site. If you won't be around while the activity check is in progress, contact a staff member to make other arrangements!

May 29th, 2016: Slight Changes and New Features

Greetings all! There have been a couple minor changes to the Site Rules and Cbox Rules, so be sure to give them a read even if you think you have the rules well in hand.

Several new features have been added to the site, including Cbox Weather and a proper tag box!

April 29th, 2016: Happy Three Year Anniversary!

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for helping Istari reach this milestone! We really, truly couldn't have done it without you!

There are still a couple days left in New Character Month, so be sure to take advantage of it if you haven't already!

March 20th, 2016: Approaching Three Years

Greetings all! It's been a while since our last announcement, so even though there isn't really anything to "announce," we still like to touch base periodically.

April will once again be New Character Month, so if you have any ideas bouncing around in your head, that might be a good time to let them out!

Behind the Scenes

Istari is an original setting created by Kalista. All personal graphics and content belong to their original creators and are protected under Creative Commons usage. Taking, copying, or recreating our ideas, graphics, or coding will NOT be tolerated!

Forum graphics were selected from images listed as having open rights for noncommercial reuse. If you are the original artist and would like to be credited for your image, or if the image was listed incorrectly with open rights, please contact a staff member and the image will promptly be credited or changed.

Alright, everyone, it's time for our next activity check! This check will run for a week, and each player will be asked to check in using their OUT OF CHARACTER ACCOUNT and the form below. Using your OOC account, post the name of your characters in the appropriate section, along with the date of that character's last in-character post.

Check-in posts made with character accounts will not be counted.

If you have not posted for a character since January 1st, you will have until the end of the activity check to post with them, or that character will be archived. This will also be the case if a player fails to check in by the end of the activity check.

If this happens, characters can be reactivated once an in-character post is made with them, but during the time that they're inactive, their play-by will be up for grabs if someone else wants to make a character using that celebrity. Archived characters are also not allowed in the cbox for in-character play.

If you need a thread to throw your character into, check out the list of open threads in the Requisitions forum. If you've started an open thread and haven't posted it there, make sure to do so as soon as possible - no one will know you're looking for a partner, otherwise!

Characters who were approved within the last month are exempt from the activity check but the player is still expected to check in, so please feel free to post the date of their last in-character post if one has already been made with them. If you don't have one up for them yet, just post "Exempt" after their name instead of a date. It would be very helpful to us, and greatly appreciated if you would post your characters' names and posting dates in the following format:

Characters to Keep:John Doe - ExemptJane Doe - January 4th

If you have any questions about how things will work, feel free to PM a member of the staff. Otherwise, let the activity check begin!

CODE

[color=#3C9F54][b]Player:[/b][/color]Your player handle here.[color=#3C9F54][b]Characters to Keep:[/b][/color]Character's name - Month DDst/nd/rd/th (Exp. January 4th)[color=#3C9F54][b]Characters to Retire:[/b][/color]Names of any characters you wish to archive.[color=#3C9F54][b]Anything Else:[/b][/color]Questions, comments, general mayhem and merriment here.

Note: If you wish to kill off one of your characters rather than archiving them, you may do so by filling out the appropriate form, located here.[dohtml]</div></div></div>

October marks the half-way point in Istari's year (since the site first opened in April of 2013), and as always we like to do something special. Last year we tried "Second Chance Character Month", which was a way to bring characters back that you many have retired at some point and give them a second chance to establish plots and ties. This time we've decided to take New Character Month (which usually happens in April for the site anniversary) and put it on during October as well!

The rules of New Character Month are the same, despite being held in October instead of April:

From now until October 31st, you can post as many character applications as you want to without needing to get in-character posts up in between! Any application posted between now and October 31st will qualify for New Character Month, even if edits end up taking the app into November, or beyond. Apps also will not be bumped for edits during October, but the bumping will resume in November!

As always, if you have any questions about New Character Month, or anything else at all for that matter, please get with Kalista, Kay, or myself!

Area Name The Academe ArcanaArea Location: Southwestern IstariInhabited By: Students and teachers of magic, of various races

Area Description: Located on an island ina massive bay on the south-western coast of Istari's main continent, the Academe Arcana is a school dedicated to the study and expansion of magic in its various scholarly forms. "Wild" magic or any other sort of arcane talent that cannot exactly be measured, recorded, and/or easily studied is generally looked down upon.

Area Name The PitArea Location: In the Istaran WildernessInhabited By: A lot of traders and merchants pass through, but only one person lives there: Myshka, Queen of the Pit

Area Description: The Pit is a massive crater in the Istaran wilderness with a warped Gate that unpredictably pulls things and people to it from random places on Earth. Essentially it's a massive, sprawling, ever-changing junkyard "ruled" over by Myshka, who deals mostly with merchants and other traders looking for unique pieces and objects.

Business Location: The French Alps Business Name: Wanderers' RestBusiness Type: Sanctuary for HuntersBusiness Description: Governed by an old one-legged hunter named Gareth, Wanderers' Rest is a gathering place for hunters and other wanderers from both worlds. Located on holy ground in an old, refitted monastery in the French Alps, it's essentially a nearly-impregnable fortress. The regulars here are very suspicious of new faces and have little love for non-humans. Owned By: Gareth